Combined tire pressure monitoring and keyless entry receiver

• US 6,885,282 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2002
• Issued: 04/26/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 02/20/2001
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Continental Automotive Systems, Inc. (Continental AG)
• Original Assignee: Siemens VDO Automotive Corporation (Siemens AG)
• Inventors: Deniau, Jean-Christophe, Desai, Tejas B., Leblanc, Melvin, O'Connor, Steve, Van Drus, Kurt, Abi-Nader, Patricia
• Primary Examiner(s): Edwards, Timothy
• Assistant Examiner(s): BROWN, VERNAL U
• Application Number:
  US10/079,665
• Publication Number:
  US 20020149477A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,161 Days
• Field of Search: 340/5.6, 340/5.61, 340/5.64, 340/10.1, 340/10.5, 340/5.62, 340/825.72, 340/825.69, 340/3.4, 340/10.2
• US Class Current: 340/5.61
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0416 allocating a corresponding wheel position on vehicle, e.g. front/left or rear/right
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0433 Radio signals
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0464 to avoid signal interference
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0466 with signals sent by transmitters mounted on adjacent vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60C 23/0494 Valve stem attachments positioned inside the tyre chamber
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00404 starting with prompting the lock
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 2009/00793 by Hertzian waves
• CPC Class Codes: G07C 9/00182 operated with unidirectional data transmission between data carrier and locks
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0008 arrangements for allowing a transmitter or receiver to use more than one type of modulation negotiating modulation type for two-way transmission paths H04L5/1453
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/0012 arrangements for identifying the type of modulation
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/06 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 27/14 Demodulator circuits; Receiver circuits

Abstract

A system for monitoring conditions within a tire (12) including a sensor assembly (14) including a pressure sensor (36), an accelerometer (34), a temperature sensor (32), and a transmitter (40) to transmit signals indicative of current tire conditions. A remote transmitter (22) for actuating a remote keyless entry system (19) emits a signal to actuate a function of the keyless entry system (19) such as unlocking doors (20) of the motor vehicle (10). A receiver assembly (16) includes an amplitude shift keyed receiver (52) and a frequency shift keyed receiver (58) selectively engagable to receive radio frequency transmissions from the tire monitoring system or the remote keyless entry system (19).

Claims

1. A system for monitoring conditions within a tire comprising:

a sensor assembly disposed within each tire of a motor vehicle,

a transmitter in communication with said sensor assembly to transmit a frequency shift keyed transmission indicative of current tire conditions;

a remote transmitter for actuating a remote keyless entry system, said remote transmitter emitting a amplitude shift keyed transmission to actuate a function of said keyless entry system;

a receiver assembly for receiving said frequency shift keyed transmission signal indicative of said current tire conditions and said amplitude shift keyed transmission signal to actuate a function from said remote transmitter, said receiver assembly including an amplitude shift keyed receiver, and a frequency shift keyed receiver, said amplitude shift keyed receiver and said frequency shift keyed receiver are selectively engaged in receive incoming signals in response to a predetermined triggering event wherein said transmission indicative of current tire conditions includes an amplitude shift keyed wake-up signal for alerting said receiver assembly of an incoming frequency shift keyed transmission signal such that said amplitude shift keyed wake-up signal initiates a switch from said amplitude shift keyed receiver to said frequency shift keyed receiver.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined triggering event is the current speed of the motor vehicle.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein said amplitude shift keyed receiver is engaged to receive incoming signals for speeds below a predetermined speed threshold of the said motor vehicle and said frequency shift keyed receiver is engaged to receive incoming signals for speeds above said predetermined speed threshold.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmitter sends said signal at predetermined intervals, said predetermined intervals varied in response to motor vehicle speed.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein said predetermined interval is greater at speeds above said predetermined speed threshold than below said predetermined speed threshold.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein said predetermined interval increases in response to variation of pressure within one of said tires.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein said transmission indicative of said tire conditions includes a plurality of data frames sent at random time intervals to prevent repeated overlap of transmissions from two or more of said sensor assemblies.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein said random time interval is transmitted to said receiver assembly such that said receiver assembly anticipates subsequent data frames of said transmission indicative of said tire condition.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein said amplitude shift keyed receiver is engaged during said random time interval.

10. A method of preventing data transmission overlap between signals emitted from a tire pressure monitoring system and a remote keyless entry system, said method comprising the steps of:

a. setting a receiver assembly including an amplitude shift keyed receiver and a frequency shift keyed receiver such that incoming transmissions are received by said amplitude shift keyed receiver; and

b. switching from said amplitude shift keyed receiver to said frequency shift receiver in response to a triggering event, wherein said triggering event includes receiving an amplitude shift keyed wake-up signal from said tire pressure monitoring system.

11. The method of claim 10, further including the steps of emitting a frequency shift keyed transmission from said tire pressure monitoring system, and emitting an amplitude shift keyed transmission from said remote keyless entry system.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein said triggering event is further defined as obtaining a vehicle speed above a predetermined threshold value.

13. The method of claim 10, wherein said amplitude shift keyed wake up signal from the tire pressure monitoring system alerts the receiver assembly of a subsequent frequency shift keyed transmission.